Beaufort Music Festival

Beaufort Music Festival (BMF) is a community-supported, volunteer run, non-profit organization working with and for the community to bring music and tourism to Beaufort and Carteret County. The festival usually takes place on the 2nd weekend in May. The town is packed on Friday and Saturday with amazing bands, food trucks and a fun-filled kid area. Locals and tourists alike enjoy the beautiful weather and some pretty great music.

As laid back as the festival weekend is, it actually takes a whole year to plan. The volunteer-run festival committee works non-stop to get the final weekend ready to go. Donations, local business sponsorship and ticket and beer sales help ensure that the festival go on each year. In addition, some of the proceeds go to local elementary school music programs. The music festival serves to bring people together in a unique way and promote local food, activities and a community feeling.As much as we are into our community, we are equally into its music. We live it. We breathe it. So keep your calendar open during the 2nd weekend of May each year. You don’t want to miss the most amazing music festival and the best weekend in Beaufort!

Sunscreen and rain gear are a good idea. It’s Eastern North Carolina, you never know.

About the Beaufort Music Festival

Beaufort Music Festival (BMF) is a volunteer-run organization working with and in the community to bring tourism and music to Beaufort and to the Crystal Coast.

The festival takes place on the 2nd weekend in May on Beaufort’s historical downtown waterfront. The town is packed on Friday and Saturday with amazing bands performing for free, food trucks and a fun-filled kid area.

Locals and tourists alike enjoy the beautiful weather and some pretty great music. As laid back as the festival weekend is, it actually takes a whole year to plan.

The volunteer-run festival committee works non-stop to get the final weekend ready to go. Fundraising events are organized throughout the year; these events serve to bring people together in a unique way and promote local art, activities and a community feeling.

The money raised from the events goes toward funding the May festival, but also goes back into the community, specifically the community’s children.

At the conclusion of most music festivals, the committee is able to give a large donation to the BMF College Scholarship, which goes to a local graduating high school senior. Each year, we hope to offer more to the scholarship; we are committed to our cause and as the economy rebounds, we are driven to see the numbers increase.

As much as we are into our community, we are equally into its music. We live it. We breathe it.

Frequently Asked Questions

We love having the Music Festival downtown! Why are you moving?

We all have a strong connection with downtown Beaufort and its businesses, and it has been a very challenging decision to move the festival. Many of us live downtown, and the great atmosphere on BMF weekend was a big part of what made all of us fall in love with Beaufort. However, there are legitimate reasons why we chose to move the Saturday portion (Saturday only) to the new site.

Safety and logistical concerns. The Festival’s success in the past few years has caused it to outgrow the Front Street site and led to some logistical problems in downtown Beaufort (e.g., street closures and resultant loss of parking in front of local businesses). In addition, there were some concerns about the crowds in town and possible stress on the local authorities for policing and safety issues. As a result, the organizing committee began searching for a new festival site, and after exploring several alternate sites and in order to keep the Festival as close to downtown as possible, we decided to partner with the Friends of the North Carolina Maritime Museum and hold Saturday’s festivities at their Gallants Channel site. The Friends have a track record of producing events such as this, and the Gallants Channel site was a logical location choice for this next phase of the Beaufort Music Festival.

Room to grow. As mentioned, in the past few years, the BMF has grown, and the move to the Gallants Channel site on Saturday will allow the BMF to continue to grow. We’ll have lots of grass to play in and lay a blanket out on; room to throw a Frisbee or kick a ball; diverse and exciting food and art vendors; and a family area where children can play safely under experienced adult supervision. We will still have a beautiful waterfront view with a gorgeous sunset and even access by boat. This growth will help us attract more visitors to the area we love, which in turn will help us convince local businesses to invest in our growth; it will be a positive-feedback loop!

But I don’t want to drive to the Music Festival! I want to get to town, park my car and not get in it again all weekend!

There will be a FREE shuttle service from various locations downtown on Saturday via the Mullet Line (the local trolley); this is less than a 5-minute trip. If you want to go by boat, we are working with Island Ferry Adventures to set up a water taxi to the event site, and there will also be slips for rent (via the Friends of the North Carolina Maritime) at the site.

In addition, we are sponsoring (along with the Beaufort HIstoric Site) FREE music DOWNTOWN on Friday May 8; if you live downtown or are a visitor, you can still walk down catch a few bands. In fact, if you’re from out of town, you could drive up on Friday, park your car, see a ton of great bands, and not have to drive anywhere again until you’re ready to leave, just like always!

That Mullet Line sounds great! Where do I park and catch it?

See this link (downtown area) for more information about parking during the Beaufort Music Festival. Remember, the Saturday event on May 9 is located at Gallants Channel. The trolley will run from Front Street Village on Lennoxville Road down Front Street to Turner Street and from there on to Gallants Channel with pick-ups along the way. The trolley will run this route in the opposite direction on the return to Front Street Village. Free trolleys will be leaving from downtown Beaufort all day so take advantage of that. Also, be aware that biking to Gallants Channel is an easy way to travel. If you bike, you may get a prize!

The Music Festival has always been free! Why are you charging for it this year?!

While generally positive, the growth of the BMF has also come with an increase in festival expenses, and the desire to host high-quality regional and national acts has forced us to reconsider how we fund the festival. Although many businesses have been and continue to be important sponsors of the BMF, the majority of the funds needed to produce the Music Festival has been secured by community fundraising events and not by, as some people believe, the Town of Beaufort. These fundraisers, while worthwhile in their own right, are extremely time-consuming for committee members, are often marginally profitable, and threaten to cause a ‘fundraiser overload’ among those most-often targeted by these fundraising attempts. Also, as this has traditionally been a free festival, we have struggled with the problem of receiving financial contributions from those who actually attend the festival. As funding has dwindled, we felt like we needed to come up with a new way to fund the festival that would have the majority of the people who actually attend the festival pay for it. A ticketed event is the option we are trying this year (however, we again, there will still be FREE music on Friday May 8); we feel that the $20 advanced ticket price ($25 at the door) is a bargain, especially for a line-up of this caliber.

Wait! Aren’t you still a non-profit organization?!

Yes, we are still a not-for-profit organization; no one involved with the Music Festival will make a dime from this event. All of the money we make from the Festival (from fundraising events; sponsors; donations; and ticket, merchandise, and alcohol sales) is used to produce the Festival, either to pay for this year or to be put towards the 2015 event. In addition, as mentioned, we will be donating a significant portion of any profits over our total operating costs to the music programs of the Tiller School and Beaufort Elementary School. The BMF is proud to support Music in Schools!

Is this a family-friendly event?

Kids of all ages are encouraged to come out and celebrate this wonderful weekend. Kids are also encouraged to bring their parents to the family fun area! Thanks to the good folks at Oceanside Pediatrics for sponsoring the family area and to the teachers and volunteers of Beaufort Elementary and the Tiller School for their hard work!

This sounds great! How can I be a part of it?

The Beaufort Music Festival is a community-supported event; many of our past volunteers have said that the time they spend volunteering at the festival is the best part of their festival experience. If you are interested in volunteering on Saturday May 10, please go to our page on SignUp Genius.
This is a simple, convenient site which is free to use. You’ll need to provide your contact info, but this is ONLY for use by the BMF volunteer coordinator and will NOT be disseminated.

Volunteers who sign up for one 90-minute shift will receive a FREE ticket to the festival. Volunteers who sign up for two shifts will receive a ticket and a Klean Kanteen steel pint; these are much sought-after and are perfect for holding your favorite cold beverage. If you want to volunteer for more than two shifts, talk to any committee member about joining the BMF organizing committee!

Is alcohol allowed?

You can support the festival for years to come by drinking in our “Beer Garden”; while coolers with food, water and soft drinks are allowed into the festival grounds, as per ABC rules, no outside alcohol is allowed.

How is this Festival supported?

The festival is supported through fundraising events held year-round, donations, merchandise and sponsorships. If you would like to donate, go here. If you or your business are interested in current or future sponsorship opportunities, please contact john@beaufortmusicfestival.com

How many years has the festival existed?

2015 will mark the 27th annual Beaufort Music Festival.

How many days does the festival last?

The Beaufort Music Festival is a two day event taking place this year on Friday, May 8th and Saturday, May 9th.

2015 Beaufort Music Festival Lineup

Friday Evening, May 8th, Downtown Beaufort, NC

Free Music brought to you by the Beaufort Historic Site and Beaufort Music Festival

Friday Evening Performance times:

One of Relix Magazine’s “On The Verge” picks, THE GET RIGHT BAND is “hip-shaking, earthquaking pure funk fun” (The Alternate Root). Combining catchy, clever songwriting with musical expertise and fearless improvisation, the live show promises to make you shake everything you’ve got. From funk to rock n’ roll to reggae, this is a dance party.

Relix called the band “an ass shaking good time” and Martin Anderson of WNCW radio comments that “The Get Right Band is one of those acts that make Asheville’s music scene so vibrant and exciting. They lay down some very cool grooves.”

The band is built on the musical brotherhood that guitarist/vocalist Silas Durocher and bassist Jesse Gentry have formed playing music together since middle school. Durocher, who is a trained composer and has been commissioned to write for symphonies and chamber groups, possesses guitar chops that can soothe or rage and a charismatic swagger as a frontman and a singer. “Durocher has an impressive range and rich clarity to his vocals—think a more soulful Dan Auerbach,” writes Connect Savannah. Gentry’s virtuosic bass playing “catapults from elastic to nasty” (The Mountain Xpress). With the addition of Jian-Claude Mears, a powerful and dynamic drummer, the group’s sound has become an unstoppable force.

The Get Right Band has been wowing audiences around the country and the Caribbean since their inception in 2011 with an unparalleled live show and a relentless tour schedule, playing such legendary festivals and venues as FloydFest (Floyd, VA), Music City Roots TV Show (Nashville, TN), Music City Brewers Fest (Nashville, TN), All Go West Fest (Asheville, NC), Steppin’ Out (Blacksburg, VA), The 8×10 (Baltimore, MD), The Orange Peel (Asheville, NC), The Pour House (Charleston, SC), The Green Parrot (Key West, FL), Ziggy’s (Winston-Salem), Skipper’s Smokehouse (Tampa, FL), LiveWire (Savannah, GA), The Beach Bar (St. John, US Virgin Islands), and many more. The band has rocked hard and jammed relentlessly every step of the way.

The band released their hotly anticipated new album, Bass Treble Angel Devil, on September 12, 2014. The hour-long juggernaut of high-energy tunes, bold and witty lyrics, and adventurous production approach has listeners singing along and shaking their booties from track one. The album is gaining traction on college and independent radio stations nationwide and is being lauded for its “infectious, danceable blend of funk, rock, reggae and just plain unique sounds” (Augusta Chronicle).

The Get Right Band’s debut CD, Shake, was released in February, 2013. Hittin’ The Note Magazine says the disc is “fun, full of energy and excitement, and should be listened to with the volume turned all the way up.” The rock n’ roll album features stripped down but creatively layered and produced performances of the band’s original tunes. It’s “groove with rock melodies built on funk attitudes,” says The Mountain Xpress. From the seductive blues of “Voodoo Doll” to the dance party vibe of “Chromaticize” to the Caribbean influenced “Touch The Holy,” (inspired by the band’s Caribbean tours) Shake’s “impressive stylistic range manages to all fit within the band’s distinctive image” (WNC Magazine). The Grateful Web writes that the disc is a “tasty mix of hip-swinging selections that leaves the listener thirsty for more.”

The members of The Get Right Band have played with many of the East Coast’s greatest acts, including Laura Reed and Deep Pocket, Woody Wood, Josh Phillips, The Artimus Pyle Band, Scrappy Hamilton (now Truth & Salvage Company), Afromotive, and Royal Trux (Virgin Records), and have shared the stage with national acts such as Galactic, Victor Wooten Band, Mike Dillon Band, Jeff Sipe Trio, Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band, Jeff Coffin’s Mutet, Larry Keel, and Bobby Lee Rodgers.

Rebellious, raucous, energetic, and riddled with fiddle, banjo, guitar, and big ol’ harmonies, nothing will blow up your kilt like a run-in with the Tan and Sober Gentlemen. Hailing from central North Carolina, this acoustic six-piece serves up Celtic and American roots music with a punk edge and infectious enthusiasm.

Known not only for top-notch musicianship, the boys have also been known to deliver bold banter, and pleasing on-stage shenanigans ranging from the new “planking on a standup bass” to the old classic “falling into a whiskey barrel mid fiddle solo.

Most bands don’t make it to their second month much less deep into their second decade. Celebrating 15 years together in 2015, Wrinkle Neck Mules aren’t slowing down despite being a study in fits and starts, dichotomy and contrast. They have amassed a long list of bizarre accomplishments that hardly seem capable of attribution to the same band. They’ve been ridiculed by Don Imus on live TV, featured in a mainstream television commercial, and have recorded with Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy. Reviewers called them both “ascendant and essential” and “under the radar.”

Essentially every term available in the Americana lexicon has been used to describe Wrinkle Neck Mules’ music: indie rock, Southern rock, roots rock, newgrass, bluegrass, country, alt-country, alt-Americana, and even something called “heavy folk metal.” They’ve earned all of these genre bending descriptions because they often flank their rock framework with country instrumentation and bluegrass-style singing. To further complicate matters, the band splits songwriting and lead vocal duties between Andy Stepanian and Chase Heard, resulting in tunes ranging from rustic and old-time to anthemic rock.

The band will release its 6th studio album, I Never Thought It Would Go This Far, on February 17, 2015. On the thirteen tracks, the band does not abandon its heritage but more often steers into lush and epic, often mellow, sonic territory rather than the more back porch stomping grounds of the past. The album was recorded live to analog tape in Barboursville, Virginia over eight days in May, 2014 with the help of engineer and co-producer Rob Evans (Dave Matthews Band, Old Calf).

Look Homeward is a North Carolina folk/string/roots-pop band of brackish brethren. Friends and countrymen Lee Anderson (guitar, vocals), Alex Bingham (upright bass), Evan Ringel (trombone, fiddle) and Wilson Greene IV (banjo) are working hard to join the rich tradition of beautiful, inspiring, honest music that has been mysteriously growing out of the Carolina soil since God knows when- and having a ton of fun doing it. Pairing instrumentation and harmony typically associated with the state’s mountain region, with their own deep love for the coastal waters, Look Homeward brings together East and West in a celebration of what makes North Carolina truly great, singing songs about longing, love, God, mystery, death, and the American South. We hope they help keep your feet moving along the journey. Inspired by artists like Bob Dylan, The Avett Brothers, and Bruce Springsteen, Lee Anderson began Look Homeward (named after the book by fellow UNC alum Thomas Wolfe) with his brother Will Anderson. Although Will has since stepped away from the band for full time medical schooling, the sense of brotherhood that forged Look Homeward will always remain one of the band’s distinctive features.

Look Homeward’s debut album, ‘The Hunger and the Ghost’ EP was release October 2013 and is available on iTunes, Spotify, and Noisetrade.

The Midatlantic is a crew of eclectic musicians hailing from the Cape Fear coast of North Carolina. Setting sail with a crew of five talented mutli-instrumentalists, The Midatlantic is an exciting and refreshing brand of folk rock that often surprises audiences, leaving them wanting more. The music can be described as a unique blend of progressive folk, americana, and bluegrass, with a hint of rock and jazz. Though the variety of instruments one can expect to hear are that of a modern folk rock band (mandolin, acoustic guitar, violin, upright bass, and drums), they are known for occasionally pulling out a ukelele, banjo, cello, keytar, and even bagpipes. This is the foundation of the unique sound produced by The Midatlantic, but don’t be fooled by the montage of acoustic instruments.

This band always delivers a wide range of dynamics and energy through songs that are sincere to love, emotions, and real life experiences. In addition, The Midatlantic takes it’s listeners on a small journey with every song and easily connects with it’s audiences young and old on every adventure.

Blair Crimmins began his current music career in Atlanta, Georgia, with a determination to bring Ragtime and 1920’s style Dixieland Jazz to new audiences. What he created was a sound that is at once modern while being deeply rooted in the past. Now four years, and five hundred shows later, he has toured the Eastern United States playing large venues and has opened for national acts such as Mumford & Sons and O.A.R. A multi-instrumentalist and music academic, Crimmins writes songs and arrangements for a classic New Orleans style horn section consisting of Trumpet, Clarinet, Trombone. His debut release “The Musical Stylings Of” became a college radio sensation on WRAS Atlanta making him the most requested band on the air.

His last release and video “State Hotel” landed them a full feature in Creative Loafing Atlanta. In 2012 Crimmins showed his musical diversity by writing and recording the full score for the independent short film “Old Man Cabbage”. 2013 will be another landmark year for Blair Crimmins when he begins touring to support his highly anticipated next album entitled “Sing-a-longs”. The new Blair Crimmins and The Hookers album promises to be a break through record which showcases a band who have polished their signature sound from years of touring.

ReggaeInfinity plays authentic Roots Reggae! Though based in Columbia, SC, the band members hail from various Caribbean Islands plus the US. Original, positive music written by Ras B along with occasional covers keeps everyone feeling, dancing and listening to the positive vibes. With a firm spiritual foundation, these talented musicians and singers are dedicated to sharing the message of Roots Reggae and believe strongly in advancing equality, brotherhood and universal love.

When you meet someone for the first time, they either seem familiar or alien to you. When you hear a song for the first time, it’s the same way, it’s like meeting someone. The kind of songs that Margo Price sings are both. Familiar and alien. Sure it’s country, but it also has shades of all her many other influences. Her sound is as much Karen Dalton as it is Loretta Lynn, as much Neil Young as Waylon Jennings.

For a few years Margo has been the leader of the psych rock/ soul band Buffalo Clover, but this is an animal all it’s own. This solo project has an earthier, down home, shit-kickin feel. Boasting a rotating cast of Nashville’s finest, including Kenny Vaughn, Pete Finney, Sturgill Simpson, Kevin Black, Ian Craft and many more, you can never expect the same thing twice.

For nearly a decade, American Aquarium have spent the majority of their days on the road, burning through a sprawl of highways during the day and playing hours of raw, rootsy rock & roll at night. American Aquarium’s songs, filled with biographical lyrics about last calls, lost love and long horizons, have always explored both sides of that divide. For every drunken night at the bar, there’s a hangover in the morning. For every new relationship, there’s the chance of a broken heart. It’s that kind of honesty — that sort of balance — that makes the band’s newest album, Wolves, their strongest release to date.

And it nearly didn’t happen. When American Aquarium traveled to Muscle Shoals to record Burn.Flicker.Die. in 2012, they were convinced the album would be their last. Even though they had enlisted the help of award-winning singer-songwriter Jason Isbell to produce the sessions, they were exhausted; weathered and whittled to the bone by more than a half-decade of heavy partying and heavier touring. To a small group of diehard fans, they were absolute rockstars… but being rockstars to a cult audience doesn’t always put food on your table or gas in your tank. BJ Barham, the band’s frontman, was so poor that he’d been living out of a storage unit for months, unable to afford an apartment in the band’s hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina.

Clearly, something had to give. Maybe it was time to make one final album — an album about failure, desperation and disillusionment — and then throw in the towel.

As fate would have it, Burn.Flicker.Die. eventually proved itself to be the band’s most successful release to date. Critics loved it. Fans rallied behind it. Fast forward 2 years and almost 500 shows later, the band has travelled the world, quadrupled their fan base and reinvented their passion for the road. When the time came to record another album in June 2014, it only made sense to do something that celebrated survival rather than failure.

The result? Wolves, which Barham describes as “the sound of a band firing on all cylinders”. Produced by Megafaun’s Brad Cook and recorded during a 20-day stay at Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville, NC, Wolves was funded entirely by American Aquarium’s diehard fanbase. The album’s 10 tracks represent a departure from the band’s signature twang. Instead drawing more from the alternative rock sound that inspired their name almost a decade ago. Wolves blends the twang of the pedal steel with the dark, dirty swirl of two electric guitars, creating a sound that’s fit for the roadhouse, the honky tonk and the dive bar. Barham has certainly spent time in all three, but now looks to brighter horizons in these new songs.

“I’ve always written about being the drunk guy at the bar at 2 a.m.,” he admits. “I’ve written about the pick-up lines and the drinking and the drugs. This record is more personal than that. It’s a coming of age record.”

It’s also a record that reaffirms his faith in American Aquarium, a band he started in 2006. Since that time, more than 25 musicians have passed through the group’s ranks. In recent years though, things have felt a lot more stable. Ryan Johnson, Bill Corbin, Whit Wright, Kevin McClain and the newest addition, Colin Dimeo, round out the group, turning Barham’s songs into fiery, fleshed-out compositions.

With Wolves, which hits stores February 3, 2015, American Aquarium is literally bigger and better.

“We were legitimized by Burn.Flicker.Die.,” Barham says. “That album was a breakup record with the road. It basically said, ‘This is our last album, this is why we’re quitting, and thanks for the memories.’ Fast-forward to 2014, though, and we’re making a new record that says, ‘We ain’t done yet.'”

The Low Counts are an Americana/Roots Rock guitar-drum duo. You think you’ve heard that before, but you’re wrong. The Low Counts’ original music is a hodge-podge of the all of the music that influences Matt Walsh and Austin Hicks the most, effortlessly combining early 40’s and 50’s Mississippi/Urban/Piedmont Blues, 50’s Sun Records-styled Rock/Rockabilly, 60’s Garage Rock, 70’s Stoner Rock, Psychedelia, old Country, Stax Soul, Hip-Hop or whatever else they can find to throw in the pot. As long as it comes out of the mash-up sounding original, real, fresh and rocking, it gets the stamp of approval. This duo isn’t easy to categorize, but one thing anyone could agree on is that whatever comes out of it, it’s always no-nonsense, raw, energetic, primal and coming from many music avenues at once, weaving them into one unique sound. What happens when you hear the energy coming from just two dudes on stage giving it all they got? Mind = Blown.

Locations

Friday Evening & Saturday, May 8th & 9th, Downtown Beaufort, NC

Free Music brought to you by the Beaufort Historic Site and Beaufort Music Festival

Contact

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The Friday, May 8, event is FREE for all AND in downtown Beaufort, at the Beaufort Historic Site!

The Saturday, May 9, event ticket cost are as follows:Kids 12 and under = FREEStudents 13-18 years = $15.00Adults 18 + = $20.00 (before May 9)

* Some of you may be upset about paying $15-25 for Saturday. However, this money goes directly to the musicians! If you ever see live music, you will know that an entire day of music for that price is a steal.* ... See MoreSee Less